First Year Student Sophia Konopelsky and AAGA Treasurer Caitlin Grogan

“Raising the funds for those programs is an important as each note that is played.”- Alec Baldwin

Last night we returned home from what was an exhausting and amazing experience. For many of the first year students, it was our first time to advocate for an issue. Learning through such a hands-on event like Arts Advocacy Day gave us the skills to present our message loud and clear to the Senators and various representatives we met with.

The first day presented us with TONS and TONS of facts and figures. As past attendees know, this day really presents all of the facts and figures to make your case the next day. It was really interesting to hear from so many passionate people about how restoring the NEA budget meant to them. It was also great to meet so many passionate arts leaders and hear their story.

Highlights of the day for me were hearing Nina Ozlu, Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs & Executive Director, Americans for the Arts Action Fund give insight about the work she has done as well as any insight she could offer to us for the next days events. Nina's passion for arts advocacy is electric and you definitely see how much she loves advocating for the arts. It was also wonderful to hear from NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman talk about the NEA's newest program OUR TOWN which will help bring arts into the community and transform them into sustainable places with arts at the core. The program seems like a great idea that will really bring arts to various communities across the United States.

The highlight of day one was the annual Nancy Hanks lecture. It was widely known that noted actor and arts advocate Alec Baldwin would give the key note so it was very exciting knowing you would hear him speak. We all arrived at the beautiful Kennedy Center early to make sure we got the best seats possible for the lecture. The vibe in the room was amazing. So many passionate arts advocates who care deeply about their beliefs sat together to see powerful celebrities share their stories about how important the arts were to them. After a great into by AFTA President Bob Lynch, CSI Actor and Arts Advocacy Co-Chair Hill Harper spoke about the importance of the arts. Ben Folds played two great numbers and Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Maureen Dowd gave a wonderful into to the Baldwin speech.

Dowd Excerpt:Of course, we all know that Alec Baldwin has a problem of being completely incapable of expressing his feelings or sharing his emotions. He lives with the pressure of having a name associated with “being smokin’ hot.” -Maureen Dowd

Then it was time for the man to take the stage. Alec came out and immediately did a yoga pose (Referencing Dowd's mention of his engagement to recent yoga teacher Hilaria Thomas). Alec's speech was powerful and passionate. A fun fact he mentioned was that he donates all the money he makes from the Capitol One commercials to arts organizations.

An excerpt from the lecture: "Despite what I do for a living, despite the potential to be surrounded by creativity with what I do every day in my field, I get my art the way you get your art; as a ticket holder, as an audience member, as a patron. And although I may eventually get in a shorter line than some of you, my love of the arts and for the artists is no different than yours. And I want as many people as possible to experience that regardless of income, where you live, or whether or not we elected representatives who get it."- Alec Baldwin

Day Two started off with a great kick-off in the Cannon Building with the Advocacy celebrities talking about the importance of the arts to them. It was great to hear from Alec again as well as Producer and Dancer Nigel Lythgoe. Here is a sampling of their thoughts (from artsblog)...

Alec Baldwin (“I’ll be having lunch with Rocco [Landesman] to talk about using the profits from Book of Mormon to settle the national debt”)

Pierre DuLaine (“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get the republicans and democrats to dance together?”)

Melina Kanakaredes (“If it wasn’t for the NEA in Akron, OH, where I grew up, I never would have gotten my start”)

Omar Benson Miller (“When I was a little boy, my mother used to take me to movies…Unfortunately for her we had an alternating system where I would choose one and she would choose one”)

Johnathon Schaech (“I can’t believe there are opponents to what we’re speaking about here”)

Tiffani Thiessen (“Public schools are not offering the same artistic outlets our kids are so desperately needing”)

Clay Walker (“The arts can facilitate learning and behavior for [kids] to grow up and be more productive adults”)

Ben Folds (“If you’re a parent you don’t need the data show you how important arts education is because anyone that wants to teach a child knows you have to be well-balanced”).

After the kick-off it was time to start the meetings, so all of the arts advocates took over Capitol Hill. We met with so many different representatives. My favorite being Stan White who serves as the Chief of Staff to Representative Bob Brady. Stan was interested to hear what we had to see and it was clear the Brady is a friend to the arts. The meeting made me feel empowered and that the work we were there to do was well-worth it. Stan talked with us about how the arts were really shaping the community in Philadelphia and how things such as the Mural Arts programs are really transforming areas of the city and the community. It was a great meeting and was refreshing to speak with someone who was really in-tune with what the arts community has done for the city of Philadelphia.

.In what seemed very fast, the meetings ended and we headed back to Philadelphia. Arts Advocacy Day is an all-around amazing experience. It is necessary for first year students to learn about advocacy in a hand's on setting like this conference presents. This experience will be one I will never forget and one I will speak about for years to come. Thanks so much to all our supporters and donors from the auction who afforded us the possibility to send 25 students to this event. Also, major thank you to Amy Gibbs, the AAGA Advocacy Director for her guidance and planning and AADM Alum and Cultural Alliance Government Relations Manager April Williamson for scheduling the meetings and guiding us through them.Thanks for following along and I look forward to hearing next year's class tales of their time in Washington, D.C.

Americans for the Arts invited AAGA's Advocacy Director, Amy Gibbs, to share the story of our program, the auction and our commitment to advocacy.Being able to send all our first years, and one second year to AFTA's Arts Advocacy Day is no small feat, and with all the generous support we received at this years auction we accomplished that goal. Amy has been instrumental in coordinating this important trip for our students, and AFTA's recognized her commitment to advocating for the arts.Great Job, Amy! You can read Amy's post on AFTA's Arts Action Fund Blog Here.

As part of an on-going speaker series sponsored by the Arts Administration Graduate Association, we were delighted to hear from last night’s speaker Ron Cowell, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and current president of The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) in Harrisburg, PA. Mr. Cowell spoke about his current work with the EPLC and gave first year students advice and pointers on being successful advocates as we embark on our first Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.Mr. Cowell’s current work at the EPLC centers around improving education policies in Pennsylvania for grades P-12 as well as increasing the operations of schools and enhancing educational opportunities for all ages. In March Mr. Cowell and his colleagues published a report deliberately titled “Creating Pennsylvania’s Future Through the Arts and Education” so they could take a look at the ways and places that arts and education intersect in all institutions. The report, which has over 40 recommendations for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has received a positive response creating a huge buzz in newspapers, radio, and other publications.To read the EPLC’s full report click the link: Creating Pennsylvania's Future Through the Arts and EducationWith Arts Advocacy Day right around the corner we were delighted to hear some wisdom from Mr. Cowell on being successful arts advocates. Mr. Cowell said one of the most important things to remember is that it’s all about relationships. Good chemistry with a person leads to long relationships, which gives you a person to go to in the future! He also reminded us that we should know our issues and to not be intimidated. In most situations it is your job to advise the staff person so they can digest the information for their boss. Mr. Cowell also reminded us to not leave the office without asking for something, this makes that person accountable whether it’s a speech, campus lecture, or co-sponsoring a bill. He also reminded us to always leave something behind, a book may be too long but a business card or organizational pamphlet will do the job! A final piece of advice he told us was to know everything about that lawmaker. It’s an easy way to start a conversation and draw parallels to what you are there speaking about.Mr. Cowell’s background in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and knowledge he imparted on us last night was extremely insightful and helped us immensely before taking on Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks. So with his wisdom in our back pocket it’s our job now to “go forth and advocate.” This post was written by Eric Colton.